Gaetz, Vance meet with GOP senators ahead of House Ethics Committee meeting

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be attorney general, met with Republican senators on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning alongside Vice President-elect JD Vance, making his case for the job hours before the House Ethics Committee was set to discuss its report on him.

Several senators have called for the House Ethics Committee to release its report into Gaetz over allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use before they consider his confirmation.

The Justice Department also spent years probing sexual misconduct allegations against Gaetz, as well as allegations of obstruction of justice, before informing Gaetz last year that it would not bring charges. Gaetz has long denied any wrongdoing related to the allegations investigated during the congressional and Justice Department probes.

After Trump announced Gaetz as his attorney general pick, the Florida congressman resigned from the House, meaning the House Ethics Committee no longer has the jurisdiction to continue its investigation into him — however Republicans and Democrats have argued whether a break in that precedent is necessary for the Senate to perform its constitutional duty to advise and consent to presidential nominations.

Republican Sens. Josh Hawley and Lindsey Graham met with Vance and Gaetz Wednesday morning.

Graham told reporters that the meeting went well and that Gaetz deserves a fair nomination process.

“Here’s what I told him, no rubber stamps and no lynch mob. I’m not going to be part of a process that leaks information that shouldn’t be leaked,” Graham said. “I’m not going to legitimize the process to destroy the man because people don’t like his politics. He will be held to account in the confirmation process. He deserves a chance to make his argument why he should be attorney general.”

Hawley was walking into the meeting when he told reporters that in his view, Congress should move forward with Gaetz’s confirmation process and respond to the allegations against him.

“Do the hearing and let him respond to everything under oath in public,” Hawley told reporters.

Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday to request the complete evidentiary file in the bureau’s closed investigation into Gaetz. Included in the ask is a request for forms that memorialize interviews conducted as part of the investigation.

The Democrats argued in the letter that there is precedent for the FBI providing these sorts of documents to Congress, including instances when Republicans obtained these documents.

As Vance and Gaetz met with senators, Trump attempted to blame Democrats for the allegations launched against some of his controversial Cabinet picks.

“They dirty them up, they destroy them, and then they spit them out. They are trying that right now with some great American Patriots who are only trying to fix the mess that the Democrats have made of our Country,” Trump posted on his social media platform Wednesday afternoon.

The fate of the Gaetz report is in the hands of the committee, and Rep. Susan Wild, ranking member on the House Ethics Committee, said the committee will vote on whether to release the report on Wednesday.

If there is a vote, a majority of the five Democrats and five Republicans on the committee must approve its public disclosure — meaning at least one Republican must break party ranks to join Democrats to force its release.

ABC News’ John Parkinson, Lauren Peller, Jay O’Brien and Chris Boccia contributed to this report.